Contact locking connector



March 29, 1966 PIORUNNECK 3,243,761

CONTACT LOCKING CONNECTOR Filed Oct. 8, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. HE/NZ P/OEU/VNE C K A 77' OE/VE Y H. PIORUNNECK CONTACT LOCKING CONNECTOR March 29, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 8, 1953 INVENT H//VZ P/ORUNN K QWA/ ATTOR/VE Y United States Patent 3,243,761 CONTACT LOCKING CONNECTOR Heinz Piorunneck, South Norwalk, Conn., assignor to Bumdy Corporation, a corporation of New York Filed Oct. 8, 1963, Ser. No. 314,738 2 Claims. (Cl. 339176) This invention relates generally to electrical connectors for printed circuit boards, and more particularly to such connectors having removable contacts.

Printed circuit connectors which receive one edge of a printed circuit board in a housing and include contact-s which directly engage conductors on one or both sides of the inserted board are generally well known. These connectors commonly require a plurality of individual contact members which are either molded permanently into the connector housing or are separately secured to the housing by individual detents and spring latches. The commonly used detents and latches however, generally require additional contact materials and additional production and assembly processes which add to the cost of the connectors, while in miniaturized sizes their added space requirements present further undesirable design limitations.

Accordingly it is an object of this invention to provide a printed circuit connector having improved means for releasably securing a plurality of contacts within a housmg.

It is a further object to provide a connector with a releasable contact securing means which does not require special tools or operator training.

A still further object is the provision of contact securing means in a printed circuit connector which is adapted to simultaneously secure and release a plurality of contacts.

These and other objects, features, and advantages of the connector of this invention will be made more apparent by reference to the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a pictorial representation of a connector constructed in accordance with this invention, with the contact securing block removed;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary pictorial section view of the connector of FIGURE 1 with a portion of the contact securing block shown in assembled position;

FIGURE 3 is a pictorial view of the contact securing block used in this connector;

FIGURE 4 is a side section view of the connector taken in the vertical plane 44 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 5 is a rear elevation view of the connector with the contacts and contact securing block removed.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the main body of the connector, which may be formed of any suitable conventional dielectric material, is seen to include a longitudinal circuit board receiving slot 14 which extends inwardly into the housing from the front face 12 and is provided with a chamfered front edge 15 to guide the insertion of circuit boards. A plurality of transversely positioned contact receiving slots 18 each having a base 19 extend from the rear face 11 of the housing 10 toward front face 12 and open outer slot 14, as may be seen most clearly in FIGURE 2. A locking member receiving channel 20 extends longitudinally into the housing from one end thereof, as shown in FIGURE 1, intersecting each of slots 18. The housing may be further provided with a pair of longitudinally extending ears or projections 61 each of which includes a bore 60 for receiving a mounting bolt (not shown) or similar fastening means for securing the connector to a bulkhead or other mounting.

The electrical contacts 16 which are disposed in the 3,243,761 Patented Mar. 29, 1966 slots 18 to contact a circuit board inserted into slot 14, terminate within the slots in a resilient reversely bent subportion 34, 35 having a printed circuit conductor engaging leg 32. Leg 32 in turn terminates in a retaining finger 38 which cooperates with a shoulder or ledge 21 within housing 10 to prevent overextension of the leg into slot 14 and to preload the contact spring subportion. Shoulder 21 may be most conveniently provided for by forming windows 23 in the front housing face 12 at the front end of each slot 18; the windows thus formed serve the dual function of providing shoulder 21 as one wall of the opening, and permitting visual inspection of the presence and deflection of contacts in each slot. Although the contacts illustrated are formed of conductive resilient wire, bent to the proper shape, it is obvious that resilient, conductive sheet, or other stock material cut and shaped to suitable size, may be used for this purpose. Any suitable means, such as soldering loop 30, may be formed at the other end of the contact to facilitate connection of external conductors thereto.

For the purposes of this conductor contacts 16 are preferably formed so as to be insertable and removable through the rearward opening only, of slots 18. In accordance with this invention then, removal of contacts disposed within the slots is prevented by locking member or block 22 which is slidably inserted longitudinally into channel 20 wherein it may be interlocked against rearward movement by means of keys 40 or 42, within the channel, and mating keyway grooves, 44 on the block. The block thus forms a rearward barrier across slots 18 which, in cooperation with the forward end of each slot, captures the inserted contacts within the housing. Inadvertent withdrawal of the block may be prevented by providing an aperture or bore 62 therein which is aligned with one of bores 60 when the block is fully inserted, so that one of the previously mentioned mounting bolts (not shown) or a hollow tubular rivet, or other fastening means, may be simultaneously passed through both bores to lock the housing and block together.

Although the operation of the locking means thus far described adequately serves to simultaneously capture or release a plurality of contacts within a connector housing, it may be desirable under some circumstances to positively lock each contact in a relatively fixed position within its contact receiving slot. This mode of operation is achieved in the connector of this invention by providing the stem or base of each contact with a discontinuity 36 which is seated over a mating projection 40 formed on the base 19 of each slot 18. The projection and discontinuity interlock to prevent unwanted lateral movement of the contact within the slot. Block 22, upon insertion, backs up discontinuity 36 and urges it against projections 40 to prevent disengagement of the two. Lateral retention force for both the contacts and block 22 may thus be achieved or simply supplemented by longitudinally aligning the discontinuities 36 and shaping them to engage keyways 44 upon insertion of the locking block.

To aid in seating and strengthening locking block 22 within the housing, the block may be provided, as illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 3, with a longitudinal projection 50 adapted to engage an internal shoulder 51 in the housing positioned to resist rearward forces acting on the block.

This invention may now be seen to provide a printed circuit board edge-receiving connector having simplified, inexpensive and readily releasable means for simultaneously securing or releasing a plurality of contact members within the connector housing. With properly shaped interlocking means such as are herein described, this invention further provides a connector having readily releasable contacts which are nevertheless securely mounted to the connector housing to provide optimum deflection characteristics when in locked-in position.

I claim:

1. An electrical connector for printed circuit boards, comprising: an insulating housing having a longitudinally extending front face, a longitudinally extending rear face, and a transversely extending end face; an elongate slit in said front face extending rearwardly into said housing for receiving a printed circuit board; a plurality of spaced apart contact-receiving openings in said rear face extending forwardly into said elongate slit; a forward stop portion of said housing in each contact-receiving opening, which limits forward movement of contact elements disposed in said openings; a retention-member channel, extending longitudinally into said housing from the end thereof and intersecting each of said contact-receiving openings; a retention member, telescopically disposed within said retention-member channel and forming an obstruction across each contact-receiving opening which limits rearward movement of contact elements disposed 20 within said openings; a contact element, disposed within one of said contact-receiving openings, having a resilient contact portion engaged between the stop portion and retention-member obstruction in said opening, and fur- 25 ALBERT H. KAMPE, Examiner.

ther having an extending terminal portion projecting rearwardly past said retention member; a securing opening in said transversely intersecting said retention-member channel; a transverse opening in said retention member, axially aligned with said securing opening; a removable securing member disposed through the said securing opening and the said transverse opening, thereby securing said retention-member to said housing; said removable securing member being adaptable to engage a panel or the like to secure said housing member thereto.

2. An electrical connector for printed circuit boards in accordance with claim 1, wherein: said removable securing member comprises a threaded bolt.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,935,725 5/1960 Fox 339-176 2,946,033 7/1960 Wirth 339176 3,101,231 8/1963 Klosterrnann 139176 3,157,452 11/1964 Dorgee et al 339-176 FOREIGN PATENTS 657,372 2/ 1963 Canada. 849,078 9/1960 Great Britain.

JOSEPH D. SEERS, Primary Examiner.

W. D. MILLER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR FOR POINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS, COMPRISING: AN INSULATING HOUSING HAVING A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING FROM FACE, A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING REAR FACE, AND A TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING END FACE; AN ELONGATE SLIT IN SAID FRONT FACE EXTENDING REARWARDLY INTO SAID HOUSING FOR RECEIVING A PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD; A PLURALITY OF SPACED APART CONTACT-RECEIVING OPENINGS IN SAID REAR FACE EXTENDING FORWARDLY INTO SAID ELONGATE SLIT; A FORWARD STOP PORTION OF SAID HOUSING IN EACH CONTACT-RECEIVING OPENING, WHICH LIMITS FORWARD MOVEMENT OF CONTACT ELEMENTS DISPOSED IN SAID OPENINGS; A RETENTION-MEMBER CHANNEL, EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY INTO SAID HOUSING FROM THE END THEREOF AND INTERSECTING EACH OF SAID CONTACT-RECEIVING OPENINGS; A RETENTION MEMBER, TELESCOPICALLY DISPOSED WITHIN SAID RETENTION-MEMBER CHANNEL AND FORMING AN OBSTRUCTION ACROSS EACH CONTACT-RECEIVING OPENING WHICH LIMITS REARWARD MOVEMENT OF CONTACT ELEMENTS DISPOSED WITHIN SAID OPENINGS; A CONTACT ELEMENT, DISPOSED WITHIN ONE OF SAID CONTACT-RECEIVING OPENINGS, HAVING A RESILIENT CONTACT PORTION ENGAGED BETWEEN THE STOP PORTION AND RETENTION-MEMBER OBSTRUCTION IN SAID OPENING, AND FURTHER HAVING AN EXTENDING TERMINAL PORTION PROJECTING REARWARDLY PAST SAID RETENTION MEMBER; A SECURING OPENING IN SAID TRANSVERSELY INTERSECTING SAID RETENTION-MEMBER CHANNEL; A TRANSVERSE OPENING IN SAID RETENTION-MEMBER, AXIALLY ALINGED WITH SAID SECURING OPENING A REMOVABLE SECURING MEMBER DISPOSED THROUGH THE SAID SECURING OPENING AND THE TRANSVERSE OPENING, THEREBY SECURING SAID RETENTION-MEMBER TO SAID HOUSING; SAID REMOVABLE SECURING MEMBER BEING ADAPTED TO ENGAGE A PANEL OR THE LIKE TO SECURE SAID HOUSING MEMBER THERETO. 